Methop op treating potassium-bearing silicates



UNITED srarns PATIENT caries. I

WALTER GLAESER, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, .ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,TO

POTASH EXTRACTION CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N.

YORK.

METHOP OF TREATING POTASSIUM-BEARIN G SILICATES.

No Drawing.

eral to a method of treatment of potassiumbearingsilicate for thepurpose of securing the potassium in the form 'of a water-solublesaltand in particular to a method of treating potassium-bearingsilicates with a commercially inexpensive and abundant material to formnot only a water soluble potassium salt,- bpt also valuable by rod acts.To

ishrnent of this ant related ends,

pointedout in the claims v The following description sets forth indetail one approved method of carrying out the invention. such disctosedmode, however, constituting but one of the various ways in which theprinciple of the invention may be used. v

- The potassium-bearing silicate is first heated in lump form at a lowred heat, such heat corresponding toabout 800C and the heating beingcontinued for a period of approximately two hours. The. heated materialis then chilled suddenly, preferably by treatment in water, and is thenground or crushed the finenessof a 100-mesn screen.

The preliminary treatment. of the silicate in itself new and asdescribed above is not has been used before fort-he purpose ofdismtcgrating the silicate and rendering it in a condition to be furthercrushed or treated.

Obviouslyif the silicate undergoing treat- 0 u o .3 o e mcnt 1s alreadyin a finely divided conditlon,

"or is in such acondition that it can be readily ground or crushed to asuitable finencss, then it will not be necessary to. put the materialthrough the preliminary treatment.

Specification of Letters i'atent. Application tiled March 8, 1915.Serial No. 12,924.

consistsbf the means- 'hereinafter'fully described and particularlyPatented Dec. 2, 191-9.

which is thus formed is preferably briqueted and dried, and is thenheated in a suitable furnace in the presence of air and steam at a hightemperature, in excess of 900 This heating when continued producessulfurous acid which, in the presence of air and steam, is oxidized tosulfuric acid when in the presence of a contact substance, which in thepresent instance is the iron oxid produced during the heating from thepyrites. The unburned silicate also acts as a contact substance toproduce the above reaction.

This heating is continued until the reaction has gone to completion, theproductsof the same .bng potassium sulfate which is water soluble and.thus valuable asa fertilizer, and also sulfuric acid in smallquantities. Pyrites usually contains various more or less valuableimpurities, such, for example as copper and the like,

be' recovered at the izlose of the rocess.

. If tlesired the, powdered sil1cate.may-be' mixed with a certain amountof lime orsodaash, as well asv'vith iron pyrites if desirable, and itwill sometimes'be preferable to "mix the silicate with pyrites andcalcium sulfate. In case this latter mixture is made, it may be Iexposed to air and moisture until the pyrites hasbeen'oxidized to ferricsulfate. When the ,pyrites has been thus oxidized-the mixture is heatedin a suitable furnace as be} 'e, and in this instance there is producedpotassium sulfate and sulfurous and sulfuric acids.

By t'his method of treatment the potas shim-bearing silicate maybeconverted into usable salts and other valuable products also producedwhich increases the value of the; products without greatly increasingthe cost' of the original materiah ()thcr modes of applying theprinciple of my invention may of the one explained, change being made asregards the process .herein disclosed or the materials employed incarrying out the process. provided the step or steps stated by any ofthe following claims or the equivalent of such stated step or steps beem ployed. w I therefore particularlypoint out and distinctly claim asmy inventions 1. In a 'method of treating potassium bearing silicates,.-the steps which consist in heating the silicate ata low red heat, sud-Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW and these can denly cooling the same, powtlringthe resulting material, mixing the same with powdered pyrites, and thenburning such mixture in the presence of air and steam at a temperaturein excess of 900 C.

2. In a method of treating potassium bearing silicates, the steps whichconsist in heating the silicate at a low red heat, suddenly cooling thesame, powdering the resulting material, mixing the same with powderedpyrit'es in the proportions of 100 parts of silicate to 20 parts ofpyrites, in the presence of air and steam and then burning themixture inthe presence of air and steam at a temperature in excess of 900 C.

3. In amethod of treating potassium bearing. silicates, the steps whichconsist in heating the silicate at a low red heal, suddenly cooling thesame, powdering the resulting material, mixing the same with powderedpyrites in the proportions of 100 parts of silicate to 20 parts ofpyrites, and then heating in the presence of air-and steam at atemperature in excess of 900 C.

4. In a method of treating ptiassium bearing silicates, the .steps whichconsist inheating the silicate at 800 C. for two hours, suddenly coolingthe same in water,

mixing the same with powdered pyrites in the proportions of partsofsilicate to 20 parts of pyrites, and thenbu'rning the mixture in thepresence of air and steam at a temperature in excess of 900 C.

5. In a method of treating potassiumbearing silicates, the steps whichconsist in'he'ating the silicate at alow red heat, suddenly cooling thesame, intimately mixing the same with pyrites, exposing such mixture toair and moisture until the pyrites is oxidized to ferric sulfate andthen burning the same at above 900 CL in the presence of air and steam.5

G. In a method of treating potassium bearing silicates, the steps whichconsist in heating the silicate at a low red heat,

suddenly cooling the-same, intimately mixing the same. with pyritcs andcalcium sulfate, briqueting the mixture and exposing the same to air andmoisture'until the pyrites is oxidized to ferric sulfate, and thenpresence of air and steam.

J. J. Dorm-1, E. A. GANNON'.

Signed by me, this 16th lay of Fehruary,

